Alarm increase devices to steal data credit cards at gas stations

Florida authorities are alarmed by the increase in the number of illegal devices to obtain personal information from credit or debit cards, mainly at gas stations, a local media reported on Thursday.

Only up to July 18, a total of 315 illegal devices have been operated at gas stations, compared to 120 discovered in the first seven months of 2016, an increase of 160%, CBS Miami reported.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services noted that in the first seven months of the year the number of illegal devices seized exceeds the total of those intervened in 2016, which was 219, as well as 169 confiscated in 2015.

The inspectors of this agency warned that these fraudulent electronic devices designed to steal credit or debit card information from gas station customers are often placed in the jets, replacing the originals.

Therefore users are asked to pay attention when introducing the card and, if there is anything suspicious in the slot or in the supplier itself, cancel the transaction and inform the employees of the gas station or the authorities .

If not detected, each fraudulent device can collect information from the credit and debit cards of dozens of consumers, which generates an average loss of one thousand dollars per user.

By counties, Palm Beach reported the highest number of establishments with fraudulent devices (50), followed by Broward (57), Miami-Dade (26) and Pinellas and Volusia (12).

Another recommendation of the authorities not to be victims of this scam is to pay in cash at gas stations, use credit cards rather than debit cards, use the suppliers closest to the establishment and avoid the suppliers that are open or the broken security seal Or changed.